You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook

This was super unique and a very entertaining read if you can suspend your disbelief. What teens on a study abroad trip legitimately decide to trade murders? I just can't believe it! The writing is amazing, so of course I flew through this and was in awe at Eileen's ability to construct a story and pull feelings out of the reader. It was fast-paced enough to keep me going, but slow enough that I took the time to absorb what I was reading instead of fly through. Although, I did struggle for a time in the middle of the story when I wanted things to pick up more. I did predict the ending, which was disappointing, but not surprising. The best part was the writing and a cast of characters that were interesting and uniquely themselves. Lost of times characters suffer in a mystery because the focus is on the story and not the people, but that wasn't the case here. I liked this, and can see the teens at my library enjoying it as well!

Was not sure where this one was going but it got there finally. I actually read this in print after I bought it for the Library.

The thing about rewriting a Hitchcock classic thriller is that you really need something to set your story apart from the original — to make it feel like you’ve made the story your own. Sadly, You Owe Me a Murder doesn’t manage this, and it ends up feeling like a watered-down YA version of Strangers on a Train.

When freshly dumped Kim meets Nicki, a stranger on a plane, she’s ready to murder her ex, who not only broke her heart but also managed to break it just in time for Kim to be stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new girlfriend. Nicki’s got her own problems with her mom, and when she suggests they swap murders, Strangers on a Train style, Kim laughs it off — until her ex-boyfriend turns up dead, and Nicki starts blackmailing Kim to hold up her end of the bargain.

Kim is an unreliable — and increasingly unlikable — protagonist, and I do like that she’s not just a Good Girl in a Bad Situation. The book is definitely fast-paced — which is handy, since we all already know the major plot beats. But I did not like the gratuitous love interest, I did not like the sheer predictability of the story, and I especially did not like the resolution, which fell flat after all the tension-building. Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn’t watched the movie (and read the story on which it was based) so many times? But this one fell pretty flat for me.

I love Strangers on a Train ... a lot. I tried a few chapters of this and I just wasn't feeling the set-up - a girl going on a study abroad trip - a trip that also includes her ex and his new girlfriend - meets another teenager and they decide to trade murders.
Me: ???????? I can't even get my teenagers to vacuum.
Yes, YA thrillers always require a big suspension of disbelief, and this book certainly did.
On the plus side, this was fast-paced and action packed. On the negative, the ending was pretty unsatisfying.

I was interested in You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook because I thought her novel With Malice, which I read a few years ago, was a quick and enjoyable YA mystery and the plot of this one intrigued me as well. In You Owe Me a Murder, Kim becomes immediate friends with Nicki, who she meets at the airport on her way to London for a school trip that happens to include her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. The two of them have a great time on the flight, chatting about everything including the idea of swapping murders. It all seems like a joke until they arrive in London and Kim's ex actually dies and Nicki shows up demanding that Kim keep her end of the bargain.⁣
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The Strangers on the Train type premise of You Owe Me a Murder is actually the third book I've read this year with a similar concept (although it was published first) so by the time I picked it up, it wasn't quite as shocking or innovative as I had hoped. The book itself is somewhat intriguing, but not really exciting or fast-paced. Of course it's a YA novel and Kim is a teenager, whereas I mostly read adult mysteries, but this is definitely a book where the main character really feels like a teenager and a lot of her issues could be solved by talking to people or telling the truth but she insists on dealing with things herself and keeping secrets. I did think the London setting was fun and I enjoyed how that was integrated into the story.⁣
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I didn't really feel like there was anything super twisty or surprising about the story, but it was once again a fairly quick and somewhat enjoyable read. If you are looking for an easy young adult mystery novel and don't read a ton of thrillers (so maybe won't find this quite as predictable) I do recommend picking up You Owe Me a Murder. Personally, although I wasn't blown away by this book, I could see myself giving Cook's writing one more try in the future, if I found the premise interesting enough.⁣
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You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook is the story of Kim and Nicki. Kim is a scorned lover and Nicki feels like her mother has ruined her life. These two meet in an airport and become quick friends, start drinking on the plane and make lists about WHY the two people who hurt them deserve to die. Nicki jokingly tells Kim that it could be the perfect crime, killing each others person, because they don't know the person and have no true motives. But what if Nicki wasn't exactly "joking"?

Kim has a lot on her plate. Not only did her boyfriend break up with her but she now has to go on a trip with him that she signed up for before they broke up because her mother thinks it would be good for her. Her mother also thinks BLOGGING about her daughter's life is a good idea. Hmmm. Oh, and did I mention her ex's new girlfriend will be going on the trip as well? And she has a voice that carries.

After meeting Nicki on the plane, they lose touch and Kim feels bad about it but she decides to enjoy her trip anyways. Then she meets a guy named Alex and she starts to have a decent time until disaster strikes. Somehow, Conner, the guy who ripped her heart out, ends up in front of a train and is killed. Surely it's just a coincidence, right? A stroke of bad luck? Maybe even suicide.

The end of this book was kind of shocking but also kind of expected. It was crazy to see what all Nicki was capable of and I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Nicki had met a different person on that flight that day. Also, did Nicki have anything to do with the baby?!

I have no idea why but the entire time I was writing this review I kept wanting to add emoji's. Lot's of eye-rolls and the finger on chin thinking emoji popped into my head a lot. Can you even add emoji's to a review?! I am not sure. 🤔

In the end, this wasn't my favorite book by Eileen Cook. There was one specific thing that rubbed me wrong but it's a personal thing, I guess, so I won't dock her too much for that but this story just didn't hit me like all of the other books I have read did. I still enjoyed the story and will continue to read all of her books.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.

Strangers on a Train is one of my favorites so I thought I might like this, alas it didn't bring anything new to the table just your typical adaptation.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this. I think the premise is just a bit too out there for me on a YA book standard. I think the teens at our library will enjoy it though. Overall, this was entertaining but was just hoping for a little bit more

This book was perfect YA thriller. It reminded me of Peter Swanson's book though. I .did enjoyed the characters and the plot.

I thought I would like this book better than I did, which seems to be an unfortunate trend lately. The title is eye-catching, and the premise was really interesting, but I just was not a fan of the execution. Things seemed to happen too conveniently and all the characters seemed kind of one note. I guess I would recommend it as a quick beach read, but it's not one I would recommend over others in the genre.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! It was WAY more than I was expecting! It had a couple of twists that surprised me. Very well written! I read it from to cover to cover pretty much in one sitting!

I’ve owned WITH MALICE for way too long and still hadn’t read it, so I decided to motivate myself to read Eileen Cook’s books by requesting YOU OWE ME A MURDER. It worked, because I read it finally! *pats self on back* I was really curious about the setup for this one, as it didn’t sound like a typical mystery/thriller plot. When Kim flies to England for a school trip, she is immediately drawn in to Nicki, a compelling stranger that pushes her out of her comfort zone. The two bond in the airport restaurant, steal a bottle of alcohol, and get drunk on the plane, discussing the two people in their lives that are making them crazy. Kim ends up wishing her ex-boyfriend dead (except she doesn’t MEAN it) and Nicki shares the same sentiment about her mom, “joking” that they should perform the murders for each other so they can easily get away with them both. Kim loses Nicki after the flight lands and continues with her trip, never thinking that Nicki was serious about the bargain.

I’ve realized that I almost never like romance in mystery/thriller books. I don’t like that it takes me away from the mystery elements and distracts me from the task at hand. It’s nice that books like this can be well-rounded instead of being singularly focused on the twisty stuff, but romance in these books just never works for ME. My brain will never allow me to ship the couple. That was very much the case in this one. Despite how nice Alex was, I could not get myself to care. I was constantly wondering when the murdery stuff would happen again and ignore the ship.

The setup for this one was so interesting and unique. The book was pretty quick and easy to read (because not much happens throughout, in terms of twists?) too. Overall, I enjoyed the different premise and situation for the “mystery” but I didn’t care about the romance (which was a huge part). The ending was pretty great though.

Loved You Owe Me a Murder more than I loved With Malice. You Owe Me a Murder was fast paced and impossible to put down. I had to know what was going to happen.

It's hard to review without spoilers, because I don't want to give anything away. Kim meets the mysterious Nicki and instantly got into some trouble and confided some things in her, which led to the whole "now you owe me" deal. I thought this was very well done, it was incredibly hard to decipher what was going on with Nicki, especially as you find out some other things about Kim.

There was really only one thing that I figured out, other than that Cook kept me guessing... and reading. I found the ending to be perfect for the situation and not too over the top.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I suppose it had to happen at some point that I would be disappointed by one of Eileen Cook's books. The other two books I read by her "With Malice" and "The Hanging Girl" were absolutely worth 5 stars but sadly this one wasn't. I felt there was too much focus on the romance and even though I related to the main character in many ways, I found her boring and the plot too predictable.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars
This story follows 17 year old Kim who is on a (school?) trip to London that also includes her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. She meets a girl called Nicki before boarding the plane and they drink stolen airport vodka and talk about their lives and the stuff that's really bothering them - Kim talks about her ex and Nicki about her mom. They jokingly make a list for reasons Connor (ex) should die and then part ways.

Once in London, Connor is killed by a train and Kim is sure he was pushed by Nicki. Nicki claims to have taken care of Kim's problem, now Kim owes her a murder (aka Nicki's mom).

So...where to begin with this. I think I would have rated it a 3 star up until the end. The last 10% was not great at all and I really didn't like it and how it ended. The story itself...ugh. The characters are all so unlikable. The plot/characters seem very tropey. In the synopsis on Goodreads, it says for fans of One Of Us Is Lying, which I read last month. I found this had some parallels that edged too close to taking directly from that book more than I liked, even it was unintentional/a coincidence and just a marketing ploy by the publishers. It felt very unoriginal.

Underwhelming is the best to describe this book for me. I haven't read anything by Eileen Cook before but had heard great things about her previous novels. I'm hoping this one was just a fluke, but I was severely disappointed in how many plot twists the author could have utilized (like the main character being a pathological liar and a manipulator) to make the book great. It also didn't help that everything that was going to happen could be guessed chapters before it happened.

I had more problems than I had praise for this book, unfortunately. I was highly disappointed by the fat phobia and amount of body shaming/ girl on girl judgment from Kim. Not to mention she vehemently defended herself by saying she was not politically correct, as if that was a horrible thing to do. The word psycho was tossed around a lot and I don't like when mental health diagnosis is thrown around willy nilly in the book.

The characterization is this book was really lacking for me. I didn't connect with Kim nor did I believe her transformation. Connor was an absolute douche and that was his whole personality. Everyone has some sort of redeeming quality and he was very one-sided. The villain of the book was just weird. I certainly didn't believe the reveal behind her motivations and I felt it was a stretch to make her seem as much of a mastermind as we were lead to believe.

I wanted more from all of it and what I did get fell really flat for me. I can recommend thrillers that I think are done better than this one.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from HMH Books for Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Eileen Cook’s latest novel You Owe Me a Murder follows 17-year-old Kim, who is traveling to London for a class trip. Kim initially agrees to go on this trip because her then-boyfriend had signed up to go as well. However, when he later dumps Kim, the trip is suddenly much less appealing to her, especially when she finds out his new girlfriend will also be going on the trip. Unable to get out of it, Kim tries to make the best of a bad situation and when she strikes up a conversation with Nicki, a young woman from London who will be on their flight too, things suddenly start to look up for her. Nicki listens sympathetically to Kim’s rants about her ex, and Kim reciprocates as Nicki rants about her mother. Reminiscent of the book and film Strangers on a Train, Nicki then starts joking around about how they should swap murders, and because it’s keeping her entertained on their long flight, Kim plays along.

When the unexpected happens soon after they arrive in London, and Kim’s ex mysteriously dies, Kim realizes she may have bitten off more than she can handle, especially when she starts getting threatening messages from Nicki, reminding her that she’d better hold up her end of the deal.

Kim is such a great character. She’s an interesting blend of resourcefulness and vulnerability, and I liked her right away. Can you imagine anything more awkward than being a teenager stuck on a school trip with your ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend? It was impossible not to feel sympathetic towards her and hope that she could figure out a way to have a good time in spite of her ex. It was also easy to see how Kim got in way over her head with Nicki. Nicki played it off like she’s this cool chick who gets where Kim is coming from, but she’s really a predator who preys on Kim’s obvious misery and naivety and gets her to vent about what a jerk her ex is and how her life would be so much better if he wasn’t around. When Kim gets off that plane, she feels so much better about her trip, thanks to Nicki, but is completely oblivious as to what she has unintentionally set into motion.

One of my favorite things about You Owe Me a Murder is how it’s presented from Kim’s perspective. We get her raw emotions as she witnesses her ex-boyfriend dying unexpectedly, followed by the sudden realization as to who is responsible and what it means for her. Then we get that firsthand look at just how far Nicki has gotten into Kim’s head as she runs through all her options trying to come up with a way out of her predicament. Her fears are palpable, as is her growing concern that her only way out may actually be to commit a murder. Kim’s mind racing like this had me racing through the pages and I don’t think the story would have been nearly as effective if it had come to us from any other point of view.

The pacing of You Owe Me a Murder was fantastic as well. I read it in one day and every time I sat the book down, I couldn’t get back to it fast enough. Cook does an incredible job of building up the suspense as Kim waits for Nicki’s next move and tries to figure out how to outsmart her. There was plot twist after plot twist, none of them predictable, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see who would come out on top.

Finally, I also liked that the book left me with so much to think about. It’s so easy to see how someone could be too trusting and end up being taken advantage of and manipulated like Kim was. It’s an uneasy thought but one that really resonated with me.

The only issue I had was that I would have liked a little more development of the secondary characters. Most of them fell flat in comparison to Kim and Nicki.

Eileen Cook’s You Owe Me a Murder is a riveting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, but especially to anyone who is a fan of either Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train or the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name.

Note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What’s It About: Seventeen-year-old Kim is not looking forward to her summer abroad. Kim signed up for the school trip to London before Connor dumped her. Now, Kim is being forced to go on vacation with the boy who broke her heart and his new girlfriend. But when Kim meets Nicki at the airport things start to look up until Nicki makes an offer…she will murder Connor if Kim murders Nicki’s mother. Kim laughs off Nicki’s offer as a joke but when Connor is dies under mysterious circumstances Nicki resurfaces asking Kim to live up to her end of the bargain. Can Kim stop Nicki before anyone else is hurt?

The Good: Cook wrote a mystery that will keep you guessing from the first page. Nicki and her motivation are kept a mystery until the end of the book.

The Bad: I had a hard time with this book. I never warmed up to Kim. I’m not sure if Cook was trying to make her an unreliable narrator but she came across as whiny and kind of weak. Plus, Nicki came across as over the top and her motivation seemed muddles and irrational. The story is one that is familiar but the author is never able to make it her own which made the entire thing disappointing.

Bottom line: Readers looking for a basic mystery may enjoy this book but if you’re die hard fan of the original story you will probably be disappointed by this YA remake.

You Owe Me a Murder is an another excellent YA mystery from Eileen Cook. Inspired by Stranger on a Train with original twists throughout. Mystery lovers will be thrilled with this story from start to finish. Be sure to check out You Owe Me a Murder today!